The Brighton
District Library is going virtual, launching its annual Summer Reading
Challenge online in an effort to reach as many families and individuals as
possible in this ever-changing world that the Corona Virus brings.

Families can connect, grow, and discover together with this year’s
free virtual Summer Reading Challenge June 14 – August 8.The reading theme, Imagine
Your Story, will draw on fairy tales, mystical lands, and make believe. All
virtual events will be available through a Zoom webinar, Facebook Live, or You
Tube video.

Join us Monday,
June 15 at 10:30 a.m. for our LIVE virtual Summer Reading Challenge kick-off.
Be amazed by entertainer and funny man Mat Emerick who juggles, does mime, and
tells stories that are sure to tickle your funny bone. All ages are
welcome! Registration begins Monday, June 1. Visit brightonlibrary.evanced.info/signup
to register and view virtual program details.  

This year, the
Brighton District Library has partnered with Beanstack, an online reading
program for the Library’s Summer Reading Challenge. There will be separate fun challenges
for each age group from youth, to teen, to adult. Getting started is easy and
straight forward. Simply sign up, log in whenever it’s convenient, and track
your family’s reading and completed activities. With each completed activity,
special badges will automatically be entered into weekly and grand prize
drawings. Registration begins Sunday, June 14 at brightonlibrary.beanstack.org.

“Now more than
ever, summer reading can play an important role in helping to promote and
maintain literacy skills, gain knowledge through library resources, and
encourage reading for enjoyment,” said Carla Sharp, Head of Youth Services at
the Brighton District Library.

The Summer
Reading Challenge is generously sponsored by the Friends of the Brighton
District Library. The Brighton District Library is located at 100 Library
Drive, Brighton, MI. Visit our website at www.brightonlibrary.info. Call us at 810-229-6571.

Have you ever wondered
what dining halls looked like inside of lumber camps or how many calories a
lumberjack ate on average? Have you ever had Vinegar Pie? Join Social Media
Librarian, Neil Parr July 8 from 7:00 to 8:00 p.m. as he takes us back to Michigan’s
logging camp dining halls during the mid to late 1800s. Register for A Bite of
History Vinegar Pie at https://bit.ly/2NrBO96.

Parr’s
program will explore both the peak of the Logging Era (1880’s) and the Logging
Camp Food in Michigan. Focuses will include culinary habits during this time
period and the complex operations of the Logging Industry. Typical mealtime
dishes, mealtime table etiquette, and typical food receipts (for example, what
a standard itemized order of food for 20 weeks looked like) will also be
discussed.

Parr
will also dive into why Vinegar Pie was so popular inside and out of the
Logging Camps in Michigan. Vinegar Pie is considered a desperation pie. It was
typically made in situations where it was difficult to get a hold of fresh
fruit. In logging camps, this was a common issue since most of the food that
was bought usually had to have a very long shelf life. Fresh lemon was
extremely difficult to get a hold of at this time. Vinegar Pie was extremely
easy to make and the needed ingredients were few. You need water, flour, apple
cider vinegar, sugar, eggs, and dry spices. The taste is somewhere between an
apple and lemon pie. During the program, Parr will also show how to
prepare the dish by using prerecorded footage.

A Bite of
History Vinegar Pie is part of the Brighton District Library’s Summer Reading
Challenge and is sponsored by the Friends of the Brighton District Library. The Library
is located at 100 Library Drive, Brighton. Visit us at www.brightonlibrary.info or call us at 810-229-6571. 

Learn about the plants and herbs found in the Harry Potter
books July 13 from 2-2:45 pm. This Brighton District Library virtual classroom
will show you how to make your own bath bomb. Ages 6-9. Registration begins
June 29. Go to brightonlibrary.evanced.info/signup. Call the library
(810-229-6571) the week of July 6 to pick up your free bag of supplies once you’ve
registered. You will need to supply cooking oil (such as olive, canola,
coconut, etc).   

At a time
when many species are threatened or going extinct, the small songbird,
Kirtland’s warbler, came out on top! Join William Rapai, Monday, July 13 from
7-8 p.m. for a virtual program about the story behind a bird’s fight against
extinction and the people who saved it.

Beginning
with an account of the warbler’s discovery in the mid-nineteenth century and
ornithologists’ desperate hunt for information on the elusive new species,
author William Rapai goes on to examine the dramatic events that led to its
precarious status, its emergence as a lightning rod for controversy, and how
strong leadership, vision, commitment, sustained effort, and cooperation came
together to conserve a beautiful and unusual bird. Registration begins June 29
at https://bit.ly/3i4b0d9.

The
Kirtland’s Warbler is part of the Brighton District Library’s Summer Reading
Challenge and is sponsored by the Friends of the Brighton District Library. The Library
is located at 100 Library Drive, Brighton. Visit us at www.brightonlibrary.info or call us at 810-229-6571. 

The Area Agency on Aging 1-B is offering a virtual version
of the popular Powerful Tools for Caregivers workshop beginning Tuesday,
July 14. The FREE six-week course, held from 1-2:30 pm on Tuesdays through Aug.
18, covers the emotional aspects of caregiving and provides opportunities for
building relationships with other caregivers. Sessions will be held on Tuesdays
via GoToWebinar, a secure video meeting tool that can be accessed with a
computer, smartphone or tablet. Pre-registration is required: 833-262-2200 or wellnessprograms@aaa1b.org. The
class is open to all family caregivers!

Governor Whitmer signed historic bipartisan auto no-fault legislation to lower costs, maintain the highest coverage options in the country, and strengthen consumer protections. This presentation, offered by the Michigan Department of Insurance and Financial Services, is about your new options and how to make informed decisions on your policies that are issued or renewed after July 1, 2020. This free, live event is being held virtually through Cromaine District Library. Please register online or by calling the Library at (810) 632-5200 to receive the event access link via email.

Have you ever wished that you could discuss deep philosophical questions with a group?  If yes, then the Philosophers’ Club is for you! The group will meet from 6:30 – 8 p.m. on the third Wednesday of each month beginning Sept.18 at the Brighton Coffeehouse located at 306 W. Main Street. 

The club is sponsored by the Brighton District Library and facilitated by Philip Smith, a retired high school social studies teacher from
Charyl Stockwell Preparatory Academy (CSPA). Smith used Christopher Phillips’ book, Six Questions of Socrates when he taught Theory of
Knowledge to high school students. The students enjoyed the discussions and wanted more opportunities to deal with higher-level
philosophical questions. As a result of Smith’s experience using Phillips’ book, he decided to launch a Philosophers’ Club. The Club is open to anyone from high school through 100 years of age.

Each month questions will be posed to the group. Those present will vote on one question to discuss. Possible questions could range from “What is an excellent marriage?” to “What is courage?” to “What is good?” The idea for each meeting is for people to discover their own unique finding according to Christopher Phillips, and for participants to leave with more questions than they came with. 

Smith said, “This seems to be an interesting time in the history of our country.  Many people don’t have the opportunity to hear what others have to say about issues, and this club will give people the chance to learn about many points of view.  It isn’t designed to solve the world’s problems, but more to give people a chance to ponder questions they may have always wanted to discuss in a friendly atmosphere. ” 

Socrates Cafe’s are springing up all around the United States. The concept/design began a few years ago by the author Christopher Phillips, who would meet with people around the world and discuss questions that might have been posed to or by Socrates. For more information about
these cafes, check out the works of Christopher Phillips: Socrates Cafe, Six Questions of Socrates, and Constitution Cafe. 

Registration for the Philosophers’ Club is required and begins two weeks prior to each session, but there is no limit to the number of participants. Please register each month by calling 810-229-6571 ext. 227 or going to: http://brightonlibrary.evanced.info/signup/Calendar.